Supreme Court Seeks Centre’s Detailed Response on Pleas Challenging Online Gaming Law
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Centre to file a comprehensive reply on petitions challenging the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 — a law that bans “online money games” and restricts related banking and advertising services.
A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan noted that while the Centre had filed its response to the interim pleas, a detailed reply to the main petitions was still awaited.
“We want the Additional Solicitor General appearing for the Union to file a comprehensive reply to the main petition itself,” the bench said, directing that copies of the response be served in advance to counsels for the petitioners. The court allowed the petitioners to file rejoinders, if any, at the earliest and listed the matter for hearing on November 26.
The 2025 Act — the first central law regulating online gaming — bans all real-money online games, including fantasy sports and e-sports played for stakes. It has faced multiple legal challenges before the Delhi, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh High Courts.
Senior advocate C.A. Sundaram, representing one of the petitioners, told the court that the business operations had been completely shut down for over a month due to the law.
During the hearing, another advocate mentioned filing a fresh petition that had not yet been listed. “I am a chess player and this is my livelihood. I was about to launch an app,” he told the bench.
Justice Pardiwala observed, “India is a strange country. You are a player. You want to play. It’s your only source of income and therefore, you want to join the proceedings.” The bench directed that his plea be tagged with the pending petitions.
The court also said that another petition — seeking a ban on online gambling and betting platforms allegedly operating under the guise of social and e-sports — would be heard on November 26 along with the main matter.
On Monday, the top court had sought the Centre’s response to a plea filed by the Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC) and Shourya Tiwari, who argued that the Act’s blanket ban violates Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to practice any profession or carry on a lawful trade.
The Karnataka High Court had also recently issued notice in a similar case.
Earlier, on September 8, the Supreme Court allowed the Centre’s plea to transfer all related petitions from the three High Courts to itself to prevent conflicting rulings. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had sought the transfer, stating that the petitions involved substantially similar legal questions.
Following its passage by voice vote in both Houses of Parliament on August 21–22, and subsequent presidential assent on August 22, the law came into effect, making violations cognisable and non-bailable offences.
The Act prohibits offering or playing online money games — whether based on skill or chance — marking a significant shift in India’s regulatory landscape for online gaming.
